Be Heard
Today there are general elections here in Spain. People will vote for who will represent them in the Congress and the Senate by political party. Once pacts are made, a leader of one of the winning parties is proposed for Prime Minister. The choice has to be ratified by the majority vote and confirmed by the King, who then entrusts the mission of overseeing the government to the elected candidate. That is how it's been since the first election after the Constitution of 1978. Suffrage is universal, and any Spanish citizen over 18 can vote as long as they show their national ID card or a driver's license. But it hasn't always been so simple.
The first general elections came in 1810, during the War of Independence against Napoleon. A law was set up to give universal suffrage to elect a Congress. Though one must understand that universal suffrage in those days excluded women and the poor. Those eligible to vote were men older than 25 years of age, and with an established means of living. Excluded were those without any employment, debtors, foreigners, naturalized citizens, criminals, handicapped, deaf and dumb, mentally impaired, and, of course, women. No privacy was accorded, as those who exercised their new rights had to appear before the notary and other officials in assembly and call out their choice. They were indirect elections, in that all those eligible in each parish would vote to choose a Junta of twelve electors, which would then choose a parochial representative. These representatives would then meet in the town which governed the local parishes, where they would elect other representatives, who would then go to the provincial capital to vote for the candidates to the Congress. (Sounds like the Electoral College in the U.S.) Out of that labyrinth came the first Spanish constitution, the Constitution of 1812, ratified in Cadiz while most of Spain was fighting the invaders.
In the Constitution of 1837 (Spain has had quite a few), the law became slightly more restrictive. Again, only men over the age of 25 could vote, but they had to meet some requirements. There were four cases in which a man could vote. One, if they paid 200 reales or more a year in taxes. Two, if they were landowners, or earned at least 1500 reales a year. Three, if they lived on rented farmland and paid at least 3000 reales a year in rent (or goods to that amount). Four, if they lived in a home with an annual rent of over 2500 reales a year in Madrid, 1500 reales a year in towns of more that 50,000 inhabitants, 1000 reales in towns of more than 10,000 inhabitants, or 400 reales in the rest of towns. This left out quite a few people, mostly the poor. (Nobody ever wants them to vote.)
After the Constitution of 1869 universal male suffrage was installed, with a brief hiatus between 1878 and 1890. From then until 1931 all men above the age of 25 could vote, regardless of income. In 1931 the age was lowered to 21 and women finally had a say in electing those who made the laws which also affected them. The final change came about in 1978 when the voting age was lowered to 18.
And so today over thirty-six and a half million Spanish citizens have the right to vote in a general election that may change a de facto two party system. Since around thirty years ago power has oscillated between the PSOE, the Spanish socialists, and the PP, the conservatives. At times third parties have had to pact with one of these two major parties, but these two have always been the ones to cut the cake. This year two other parties have erupted onto the national scene, Podemos and Ciudadanos. Podemos is more to the left, and Ciudadanos is right of center. More than anything they have appeared because people are fed up with those who have entrenched themselves into power and have used it only for their own good.
So, now that the right to vote is universal, we should give take advantage of it and vote, keeping in mind all those whose voice once could not be heard simply because they were poor or women.
The first general elections came in 1810, during the War of Independence against Napoleon. A law was set up to give universal suffrage to elect a Congress. Though one must understand that universal suffrage in those days excluded women and the poor. Those eligible to vote were men older than 25 years of age, and with an established means of living. Excluded were those without any employment, debtors, foreigners, naturalized citizens, criminals, handicapped, deaf and dumb, mentally impaired, and, of course, women. No privacy was accorded, as those who exercised their new rights had to appear before the notary and other officials in assembly and call out their choice. They were indirect elections, in that all those eligible in each parish would vote to choose a Junta of twelve electors, which would then choose a parochial representative. These representatives would then meet in the town which governed the local parishes, where they would elect other representatives, who would then go to the provincial capital to vote for the candidates to the Congress. (Sounds like the Electoral College in the U.S.) Out of that labyrinth came the first Spanish constitution, the Constitution of 1812, ratified in Cadiz while most of Spain was fighting the invaders.
In the Constitution of 1837 (Spain has had quite a few), the law became slightly more restrictive. Again, only men over the age of 25 could vote, but they had to meet some requirements. There were four cases in which a man could vote. One, if they paid 200 reales or more a year in taxes. Two, if they were landowners, or earned at least 1500 reales a year. Three, if they lived on rented farmland and paid at least 3000 reales a year in rent (or goods to that amount). Four, if they lived in a home with an annual rent of over 2500 reales a year in Madrid, 1500 reales a year in towns of more that 50,000 inhabitants, 1000 reales in towns of more than 10,000 inhabitants, or 400 reales in the rest of towns. This left out quite a few people, mostly the poor. (Nobody ever wants them to vote.)
After the Constitution of 1869 universal male suffrage was installed, with a brief hiatus between 1878 and 1890. From then until 1931 all men above the age of 25 could vote, regardless of income. In 1931 the age was lowered to 21 and women finally had a say in electing those who made the laws which also affected them. The final change came about in 1978 when the voting age was lowered to 18.
And so today over thirty-six and a half million Spanish citizens have the right to vote in a general election that may change a de facto two party system. Since around thirty years ago power has oscillated between the PSOE, the Spanish socialists, and the PP, the conservatives. At times third parties have had to pact with one of these two major parties, but these two have always been the ones to cut the cake. This year two other parties have erupted onto the national scene, Podemos and Ciudadanos. Podemos is more to the left, and Ciudadanos is right of center. More than anything they have appeared because people are fed up with those who have entrenched themselves into power and have used it only for their own good.
So, now that the right to vote is universal, we should give take advantage of it and vote, keeping in mind all those whose voice once could not be heard simply because they were poor or women.
Comments
Post a Comment